Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal ( IF 1.4 ) Pub Date : 2023-06-28 , DOI: 10.1007/s10560-023-00939-8 Jemma Venables
Young people under child protection orders are a vulnerable group and their vulnerability and risk of exploitation increases if they leave approved out-of-home care placements (residential and foster care) and stay in unapproved arrangements. These arrangements are often temporary, insecure and may expose young people to exploitation and harm. Despite their heightened vulnerability, there are limited specialised services that work alongside this cohort of young people. There is a dearth of evidence regarding their needs and effective service responses. These gaps are compounded by the absence of young people’s voices in the literature and policy discussions; with implications for recognising their human rights. This paper reports on the views of thirteen young people who have accessed support via a specialist service in Queensland (Australia), specifically funded by the Queensland Government to provide support to ‘self-placing’ young people (12–18 years). The service aims to improve young people’s resilience, capability, and safety so they can either return to an approved OOHC placement or be supported to make safe and sustainable choices for independent accommodation. This paper reports on interview and survey data about their features of service delivery that young people who self-place value in a specialist support service. The findings highlight the importance of: (1) accessible and responsive support; (2) caring and trusting relationships with workers; (3) supporting young people’s choices and their developing agency; and (4) advocacy and support navigating systems.
中文翻译:
外出护理的年轻人在获得专家支持服务时“自我安置”并留在未经批准的安置中的价值
受儿童保护令约束的青少年是弱势群体,如果他们离开批准的家庭外护理机构(寄宿和寄养)并留在未经批准的安排中,他们的脆弱性和遭受剥削的风险就会增加。这些安排往往是暂时的、不安全的,可能使年轻人遭受剥削和伤害。尽管他们的脆弱性更高,但为这群年轻人提供的专业服务却很有限。缺乏关于他们的需求和有效服务响应的证据。由于文献和政策讨论中缺乏年轻人的声音,这些差距变得更加严重;对承认他们的人权具有影响。本文报道了 13 名年轻人的观点,他们通过昆士兰州(澳大利亚)的专业服务获得了支持,该服务由昆士兰州政府专门资助,旨在为“自我安置”年轻人(12-18 岁)提供支持。该服务旨在提高年轻人的适应力、能力和安全性,以便他们能够返回经批准的 OOHC 安置,或获得支持以做出安全且可持续的独立住宿选择。本文报告了关于自我重视专业支持服务的年轻人的服务提供特征的访谈和调查数据。研究结果强调了以下方面的重要性:(1) 可获得且响应迅速的支持; (2) 与工人的关爱和信任关系; (3) 支持年轻人的选择及其发展机构; (4) 宣传和支持导航系统。